Body lift



1959 A. RQOBERWEGNER 2,918,718

BODY LIFT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 4, 1957 INVENTOR 4 ALFQED Rabfiewesum;

q 1959 A. R. OBERWEGNER 2,918,718

BODY LIFT Filed Jan. 4, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 i/gii I N VEN TOR. ALF/@EDJ?- OE/ewss/vE/e,

AGENT BODY LIFT Alfred R. Oberwegner, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application January 4, 1957, Serial No. 632,586

7 Claims. (CI. 27-28) This invention has to do with a body lift and ismore particularly concerned with a lift or hoist adapted to elevate andlift a corpse from a morticians dressing table,

or the like, and to lower the corpse into position in a casket.

The handling of a corpse as for instance, the placernent of a corpse ina casket is extremely difficult and ordinarily requires the service oftwo or more persons. It is extremely difiicult to handle a corpse,dressed for burial, and to place it in a casket without disturbing theclothing and damaging the casket lining, which is normally extremelydelicate and fragile. When a corpse is handled for the purpose set forthabove, care must also be taken not to bend or flex the body or todisturb the relative positioning of the head.

It is frequently the job of one or more relatives, or close friends ofthe deceased, to direct and assist the dressing and the application ofmake-up on a corpse and to see the corpse placed in the casket. As aresult of the above, it is extremely important, when a mechanicalcontrivance is employed to lift the corpse, that the contrivance orlift, be unobtrusive in appearance, quiet and smooth in op eration, and,in general, such that it minimizes the impression on those present, thatthe deceased is being pitched around by a machine.

With the above in mind, it is a general object of the present inventionto provide a body lift of the general character referred to which isneat and attractive in appearance and such that when it is not in use,all working parts or elements are hidden from view.

Another object of my invention is to provide a body lift adapted toengage and elevate a corpse, in a prone or horizontal position, withoutdisturbing and varying the relative positioning of the various parts andportions of the corpse.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an electricallyoperated body lift that can be easily and advantageously operated by asingle person.

Still further, it is an object of the invention to provide a body liftwhich is easy and economical of manufacture and which is highlyeffective and dependable in operation. v

The various objects and features of my invention will be fullyunderstood from the following detailed description of a typicalpreferred form and application of my invention, throughout whichdescription reference is made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side view of the lift provided by the present invention,showing it engaged with and supporting a corpse, and showing certainparts of the lift in section to better illustrate the construction.

Fig. 2 is a plane view of a portion of the structure shown in Fig. 1 andtaken as indicated by line 2-2 on Fig. 1. In Fig. 2 the corpse isremoved from the construction.

Fig. 3 is a sectional plane view of a portion of my con- ,struction andtaken as indicated by line 3-3 on Fig. 1.

United States Patent 6 F 2,918,718 Patented Dec. 29, 1959 ice Fig. 4 isa transverse sectional view taken as indicated by line 4-4 on Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detailed perspective view of a portion of myconstruction.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of my lift andhaving portions broken away to better illustrate certain details ofconstruction.

The construction provided by the present invention has to do with a bodylift for use by morticians or the like, to engage and lift corpsesreadily for burial, as when they are being transferred from themorticians dressing table to the caskets in which they are finallyplaced. The construction is shown as including generally, a housing A, ahoist mechanism B within the housing, an elongate horizontally disposedvertically shiftable carrier beam C, a plurality of lifting belts Dcarried by the hoist mechanisms and connected with the beam, a pluralityof longitudinally spaced spreaders E extending transverse thelongitudinal axis of the beam, coupling means F rotatably and shiftablycoupling the spreaders to the beam, corpse engaging straps G for eachspreader, and gripping means H on the spreaders adapted to releasablygrip the straps.

The construction that I provide is shown as further including suitablemounting means I adapted to mount the housing in spaced relationshipabove the floor of the room in which the construction is located and sothat the morticians dressing table and the casket can be advantageouslywheeled into and out of position below the construction.

The housing A is an elongate box-like structure, having flat, verticallydisposed front, rear and end walls, 10, 11 and 12, a flat, horizontallydisposed top 13, and an open bottom 14. The housing A is provided with aflat, horizontally disposed partition 15 intermediate its top 13 andbottom 14, dividing the interior of the housing into upper and lowercompartments X and Y, and a closure 16 pivotally secured to the bottomedge of the rear wall 11 by a suitable hinge 17 and adapted to swingbetween a boilzontally disposed position Where the housing is closed anda vertical position as illustrated in the drawings, where the lowercompartment Y is open.

In the particular case illustrated, suitable magnetic catches 18 areprovided on the closure 16 and the interior of the front wall of thehousing to normally releasably maintain the closure in the horizontalclosed position.

The hoist mechanism B that I provide is shown as including an elongatehorizontally disposed shaft 20 rotatably supported in the uppercompartment X by a pair of longitudinally spaced pillow blocks 21secured to the top side of the partition 15 so that the shaft extendslongitudinally of the housing, and a suitable drive means 22 at one endof the housing and coupled with and driving the shaft.

The drive means 22 is shown as including a reversible electric motor M,mounted within the housing adjacent one end of the shaft, a reductiongear unit 23 between and operatively connecting the motor and the shaftand a manually operable drum switch 23 adapted to control the operationof the motor.

In the particular case illustrated, the motor M is mounted in a suitablewell-like structure 25 in the partition 15, at one end of the housing.The reduction gear unit is shown fixed to the partition adjacent thewell structure and is driven by the motor through a suitable belt andpulley drive 26. The reduction gear unit is preferably a self-lockingworm and pinion type reduction gear and is shown as having its outputshaft connected to the shaft 20 by means of a suitable universal joint27.

The drum switch 24 adapted to control the motor M is a conventional drumswitch secured to the top side of the partition 15 and is provided witha. suitable looplike operating cord 28 extending through a suitableopen- 3 ing 29 in the partition to depend from the housing Where it canbe conveniently engaged by the operator. In practice, a suitable handle30 is provided at the lower endof the cord 28.

The carrier beam C is a simple elongate horizontally disposed metalbox-section, slightly less in longitudinal extent than the housing A andadapted to freely enter {the lower compartment Y of the housing when theconstruction is not in use. I The lifting belts D carried by the hoistmechanism B and connected with the beam C, are shown as simplevertically disposed lengths of fabric webbing with their Lupper needsengaged around and suitably secured to the shaft 20 and their lower endssuitably secured to the beam C, as by means of U-bolt fasteners 31. Thebelts D are spaced longitudinally of the shaft and beam and are of equallength, with the result that the beam C, which is secured to the lowerends of the straps remains in a horizontal plane and parallel with theshaft at all times.

In the particular case illustrated, I have shown the mechanisms providedwith two belts D, which belts are spaced longitudinally of theconstruction a sufficient distance so as to provide lengthwise stabilityto the beam and to overcome any tendency for the beam to teeterlengthwise when in use.

In the preferred carrying out of the invention, the belts D extendthrough suitable openings 32 in the partition 15 as they depend from theshaft 20.

' Suitable belt guides 33 are provided to guide the belts as they arewound onto the shaft 20. The guides 33 are shown as simple U-shapedbracket-like members, formed of sheet metal, secured to the partition 15to project upwardly therefrom. The legs 33' of the guides occur atopposite sides of the belts and are provided with axially alignedopenings adapted to freely pass the shaft 20.

. The longitudinally spaced spreaders E, extending transverse thelongitudinal axis of the beam C, and with which the corpse engagingstraps G are related, are simple elongate metal bars and are primarilyadapted to hold the opposite ends of the straps G apart when theconstruction is in use, so that the straps do not tend to grip anddisturb the position of the corpse when the corpse is elevated. i Thecoupling means F rotatably and shiftably coupling the spreaders E to thebeam C are shown as including a block 34 pivotally secured to eachspreader E, by means of a suitable screw type fastener 35. The blocksare secured to the spreaders at points spaced intermediate their endsand so that they project upwardly therefrom. Each block 34 is providedwith a horizontally disposed opening 36 extending from one side therevofto the other, and shaped to slidably receive the beam.

With the above relationship of parts, it will be apparent that theblocks 34 and the spreaders E carried thereby, can be easily and quicklyshifted longitudinally of the beam C so that the spreaders E and strapsG can be suitably adjusted for handling corpses of varying longitudinalextent. It will also be apparent that should the straps G be misalignedbeneath the corpse, the spreaders E are free to rotate relative to theblocks and beam to compensate for such misalignment and so that the beltwill not tend to bind and twist the corpse, or its clothing.

The corpse engaging straps G related to the spreaders .E are simpleelongate lengths of fabric belting adapted to be placed beneath thecorpse at predetermined points along its longitudinal extent and areadapted to be connected with the opposite ends of their relatedspreaders E tofform what is, in effect, supporting slings when the:corpse is to be elevated.

The gripping means H adapted to releasably grip the straps G, is shownas including a pair of longitudinally spaced pads 37 at each end of eachspreader, a U-shaped bracket 38 at each end of each spreader to overliethe pads and adapted to freely pass the end of the strap G relatedthereto, a pressure block 39 within each bracket and adapted to engageand hold the strap in pressure engagement on the spreader and betweenthe pads and a screw actuator it with a hand engaging head 41 threadedlyengaged in the bracket to engage and carry the pressure block and toshift the block into and out of engagement with the strap.

With the above relationship of parts, it will be apparent that when thecorpse is ready for lifting, the ends of the straps G can be engagedthrough the brackets 38 on the ends of the Spreaders, drawing snug, andthen clamped tight therein by actuation of the screw actuator 49 andblock 39.

With the construction set forth above, it will be apparent that when theconstruction is in use and the straps G are related to the corpse and tothe spreaders in the manner set forth, the operator of the constructioncan easily and conveniently raise and lower the corpse as desired, byoperation of the drum switch 24 and without disturbing the dispositionof the corpse or its dress.

The mounting means I adapted to support the housing A is shown asincluding a pair of longitudinally spaced metal brackets 42 secured to awall W and each having a laterally projecting supporting arm 43 adaptedto pro ject through a suitable opening 44 in the rear wall 11 of thehousing to occur below and supportingly engage the partition 15 therein.

In practice, the mounting means can vary widely in form andconstruction. As for example, when it is desired to suspend theconstruction from a ceiling structure, suitable flanged pipe hangers,such as illustrated in phantom lines in Fig. 4 of the drawings, can beemployed. Still further, if it is desired, the housing could beshiftably carried as by means of an overhead track and truck mechanismor by means of a suitably Wheeled A-frame, or the like, without any wayeffecting the novelty of the present invention.

When my construction is not in use and it is desired to obscure theotherwise visible parts of the construction, the Spreaders E are rotatedrelative to the blocks 34 to extend substantially parallel with the beamC and into that which I will refer to as a collapsed position. Thestraps G are then draped or hung over the beam and the Spreaders, andthe assemblage is elevated into the lower compartment Y. When the saidassemblage is elevated in the manner set forth above, the operating cord28 for the drum switch 24 is engaged with one of the parts of theassemblage and the closure 16 of the housing is pivoted to itshorizontal closed position.

With the above relationship of parts, it will be apparent that when theconstruction that I provide is not in use, it is suitably housed, andthe mechanism is obscured so that an unsightly and rather morbidcontrivance is not visible to the bereaved who might be in the room inwhich the construction is located, either before or after a burial.

Having described only a typical preferred form and application of myinvention, I do not wish to be limited or restricted to the specificdetails herein set forth,'but Wish to reserve to myself any variationsor modifications that may appear to those skilled in the art and fallwithin the scope of the following claims.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A body lift of the character referred to including, an elongatehorizontall disposed shaft, drive means adapted to rotate the shaft, asupport beam in a common vertical plane with the shaft and spaced belowand parallel with the shaft, lifting belts fixed to and extending freelybetween the shaft and the beam and adapted to wound onto and off of theshaft to raise and lower the beam, a plurality of longitudinal shiftableblocks-carried by the beam, an elongate horizontally disposed spreaderpivotally secured to each block and adapted toextend substantiallytransverse the longitudinal axis of the beam, a plurality of elongatestraps positioned below the spreader and adapted to be engaged beneath abody positioned below the beam, and clamp means carried by the spreadersand adapted to slidably receive the belts for longitudinal shiftingtherethrough and operable to releasably engage and hold the strapsrelated thereto in fixed position.

2. A body lift of the character referred to including, an elongatebox-like housing having an open bottom and a partition establishingupper and lower compartments, mounting means supporting the housing inan elevated position, an elongate horizontally disposed shaft rotatablysupported in the upper compartment, drive means in the upper compartmentand adapted to rotate the shaft, a support beam spaced below thepartition and extending parallel with the shaft and belts fixed to theshaft and depending through openings in the partition and connected withthe beam, said belts being adapted to be wound onto or off of the shaftto raise and lower the beam, a plurality of longitudinally spacedspreaders carried by the beam to extend transverse thereof and a strapfixed to and extending between the ends of each spreader and adapted tobe engaged below a portion of a body positioned below the beam and tocarry the body when the beam is raised.

3. A body lift of the character referred to including, an elongatebox-like housing having an open bottom and a partition estabilshingupper and lower compartments, mounting means supporting the housing in afixed elevated position, an elongate horizontally disposed shaftrotatably supported in the upper compartment, reversible drive means inthe upper compartment and adapted to rotate the shaft in oppositedirections, a support beam spaced below the partition and extendingparallel with the shaft, lifting belts fixed to and carried by the shaftand depending through openings in the partition and connected with thebeam, said belts being adapted to be wound onto or off of the shaft toraise and lower the beam, a plurality of longitudinally spaced spreaderscarried by the beam to extend transverse thereof and a strap releasablyfixed to and extending between the ends of each spreader and adapted tobe engaged below a portion of a body positioned below the beam and tocarry the body when the beam is raised.

4. A body lift of the character referred to including, an elongatebox-like housing having an open bottom and a partition establishingupper and lower compartments, mounting means supporting the housing inan elevated position, an elongate horizontally disposed shaft rotatablysupported in the upper compartment, drive means in the upper compartmentand adapted to rotate the shaft, 9. support beam spaced below thepartition and extending parallel with the shaft, lifting belts fixed toand carried by the shaft and depending through openings in the partitionand connected with the beam, said belts being adapted to be wound ontoor off of the shaft to raise and lower the beam, a plurality oflongitudinal shiftable blocks carried by the beam, an elongatehorizontally disposed spreader pivotally secured to each block andadapted to extend substantially transverse the longitudinal axis of thebeam, and a strap fixed to and extending between the ends of eachspreader and adapted to be engaged below a portion of a body positionedbelow the beam and to carry the body when the beam is raised.

5. A body lift of the character referred to including, an elongatebox-like housing having an open bottom and a partition establishingupper and lower compartments, mounting means supporting the housing in afixed elevated position, an elongate horizontally disposed shaftrotatably supported in the upper compartment to extend longitudinally ofthe housing, electrically operated reversible drive means in the uppercompartment and adapted to rotate the shaft in opposite directions, asupport beam below the partition and extending parallel with the shaft,lifting belts fixed to and carried by the shaft and depending throughopenings in the partition and connected with the beam, said belts beingadapted to be wound onto or off of the shaft to raise and lower thebeam, a plurality of longitudinal shiftable blocks carried by the beam,an elongate horizontally disposed spreader pivotally secured to eachblock and adapted to extend substantially transverse the longitudinalaxis of the beam, and a strap releasably secured to and extendingbetween the ends of each spreader and adapted to be engaged below aportion of a body positioned below the beam and to carry the body whenthe beam is raised.

6. A body lift of the character referred to including, an elongatebox-like housing having an open bottom and a partition establishingupper and lower compartments, mounting means supporting the housing inan elevated position, an elongate horizontally disposed shaft rotatablysupported in the upper compartment, drive means in the upper compartmentand adapted to rotate the shaft, a support beam spaced below thepartition and extending parallel with the shaft, lifting belts fixed toand carried by the shaft and depending through openings in the partitionand connected with the beam, said belts being adapted to be wound ontoor off of the rotating shaft to raise and lower the beam, a plurality oflongitudinal shiftable blocks carried by the beam, an elongatehorizontally disposed spreader pivotally secured to each block andadapted to extend substantially transverse the longitudinal axis of thebeam, a plurality of elongate straps positioned below the spreaders andadapted to be engaged beneath a body positioned below the beam, andclamp means at the ends of each spreader and adapted to releasablyengage the ends of the strap related thereto, said lower compartment inthe housing adapted to freely receive the beam, spreaders and strapswhen the construction is not in use.

7. A body lift of the character referred to including, an elongatebox-like housing having an open bottom, a partition establishing upperand lower compartments and a pivoted closure adapted to overlie thebottom when the lift is not in use, mounting means supporting thehousing in a fixed relative position, an elongate horizontally disposedshaft rotatably supported in the upper compartment to extendlongitudinally of the housing, manually controlled electrically operatedreversible drive means in the upper compartment adjacent one end of theshaft and adapted to rotate the shaft in opposite directions, a supportbeam spaced below the partition and extending parallel with the shaft,lifting belts fixed. to and carried by the shaft and depending throughopenings in the partition and connected with the beam, said belts beingadapted to be wound onto or off of the rotating shaft to raise and lowerthe beam, a plurality of longitudinal shiftable blocks carried by thebeam, an elongate horizontally disposed spreader pivotally secured toeach block to normally occur in working position where it extendssubstantially transverse the longitudinal axis of the beam, andshiftable to a collapsed position where it extends substantiallyparallel with the beam, a plurality of elongate straps positioned belowthe spreaders and adapted. to be engaged beneath a body positioned belowthe beam, and manually. operable releasable clamp means at the ends ofeach spreader and adapted to releasably engage the ends of the straprelated thereto, the lower compartment in the housing being adapted tofreely receive the'beam, spreaders and straps, when the lift is not inuse and the spreaders are in the collapsed position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

